


Affirming Acceptance

by ImpyTricky (rychuu)



Category: New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Christmas Fluff, Christmas Presents, F/M, Post Game, This isn't explicitly shippy but, VRAU, Very Post Game, mentions of transphobia, virtual reality au, you sure can read it as such
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-22
Updated: 2020-07-22
Packaged: 2021-03-04 23:53:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,271
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25444975
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rychuu/pseuds/ImpyTricky
Summary: Kokichi dresses up like Santa and delivers a bunch of toys and gifts to an orphanage. He also has some unfinished business to attend to.
Relationships: Harukawa Maki & Oma Kokichi, Harukawa Maki/Oma Kokichi
Comments: 8
Kudos: 78
Collections: Kokichi Ouma Month 2020





	Affirming Acceptance

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kennie58](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kennie58/gifts).



> I... I'm so sorry...
> 
> This fic took SO LONG and it's SOOOO MASSIVE and I don't think I'll be able to do the last five fics for Ouma Month but WE'LL SURE SEE.
> 
> This was written for Ouma Month day 24, Free Day.
> 
> I hope you all enjoy!
> 
> PS: This MASSIVE fic was written as a gift for Kendra! Hey Kendra! ILYYY!!! <333 I hope you enjoy this mammoth of a drabble I am DYING. I hope I did your girl justice!

With his sudden inheritance from his birth father’s passing, Kokichi wasn’t ever really sure what to do with all of it. Several businesses, several estates, none of them interested him in the slightest. When he liquidated every asset he had no use for, however, he found himself with an _absurd_ amount of money that he just couldn’t spend fast enough.

A thought occurred to him one day that he could use the money to help others, and he had been doing as such ever since. Every homeless person he saw received a huge amount of cash, all of them weeping tears of joy from the kindness. It made Kokichi feel awkward, and at the same time, shame.

He never wanted this fortune to begin with, but at the very least, generations of abusers in power ended with him, and the thought of the Oshiro family line screaming beyond their graves made Kokichi snicker. Though he was happy that he could help others in such a significant way.

His next charity drive included a local orphanage, one that was especially struggling. However, he didn’t plan on just giving a huge donation to it, oh no--he decided to make a show of it, and give the dreary atmosphere a little life. To help those kids abandoned by the world feel a little more hopeful.

Of course, he called the orphanage in advance, to assure that he wasn’t going to surprise the adults with his grand entrance. With it being the day before Christmas, Kokichi thought it would be appropriate to dress like Santa. The runners of the orphanage sounded delighted at the idea, willing to play along with the disguise, though they too would be surprised when he dropped that hefty donation on their desk.

Beaming and excited, Kokichi didn’t even mind how scratch the fake beard felt--he was ready to rock and roll.

After parking the car a couple of blocks away, Kokichi slipped on his costume and grabbed the large bag of presents for the children. None of them were wrapped, as they all would share the same toys and games--that was the idea, at any rate. He hoped that the children would enjoy the treats.

While he surely got some odd looks from some passerbyers, Kokichi walked the rest of the way to the orphanage, though only stopping to readjust the heavy bag he carried over his shoulder. For a brief moment, he _did_ regret not picking out some… lighter toys.

When he was just outside of the door, Kokichi sent a text to the caretaker to let her know. When she gave the okay, Kokichi couldn’t stop himself from grinning even wider.

It was show time.

When he opened the doors, he did so in an over dramatic way, but just barely gentle enough as to not cause any property damage. All of the children gasped, and some even screamed from how startled they were, but it didn’t take long for all of their eyes to light up.

 _“Ho, ho, ho!_ Merry Christmaaaas!”

While his faux deep and haughty laughter was as laughable as it could be, the children all immediately screeched with joy and scrambled over to him. Some were even close to being the same height as him; not ideal, but hilarious all the same.

“Santa! Santa!” They cried out, all very excited and cheering. “Santa’s here! Santa!”

“Ms. Morikawa said Santa was gonna come today, but no one believed it!” One of the younger ones blurted out. “No one believed me! No one!”

“Santa!” Another child, one of the taller ones, leaned over toward him. Kokichi started feeling a little bit claustrophobic from how the children crowded around him and immediately bombarded him with questions. “You’re much shorter than in the pictures! Are you _really_ Santa?” 

Kokichi snickered at the child’s skepticism, and patted them on the head. “Yes, but of course I am! And I am here to give all of you gifts, so if you’ll just--”

“Presents?!” Oh, that was a mistake. Now the kids got even closer, all excited and unaware of personal space. “Presents! We’re getting presents?!”

“I want a present, Santa!” One child called out, screaming as loud as they could.

Another child shoved them aside. “No, me! Me first, Santa!”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! There’s no need to shove, relax!” It was a lot more overwhelming that Kokichi anticipated, but their excitement was contagious. “All of these presents belong to _all_ of you. That means, everyone gets these toys, okay?”

The children gasped in shock and awe, but their excitement only made the crowd tighter. Kokichi felt like he would be crushed and suffocated, but thankfully, the caretaker stepped in. “All right, everyone settle down. Let’s all sit in the reading corner and wait patiently, okay?”

Magically, the children moved off of him, finally giving Kokichi some room to breathe. They all sat in a cramp part of the room, on an old, dirty rug, with the biggest smiles Kokichi had ever seen. It was almost as bitter as it was sweet.

Though he kept up the playful, cheery attitude, and waddled on over, making the younger kids laugh at how silly he walked. Though when he set the bag down, they were practically bouncing in their seats. “Now! Remember, all of these toys are to be shared with all of you, okay? So play nice, and share with others! Let them get a turn, okay?”

With an unanimous cheer of agreement, Kokichi opened the bag and started to hand out the gifts. Toys, dolls, jump ropes, chalk, paints, All kinds of gifts that the caretaker had approved of. All of the children were enamored with the gifts, and since there were multiples of the same gift, none of them really ever got jealous or fussy. There was plenty of leftover toys scattered on the floor once they had all settled into playing, completely forgetting about Kokichi all together--unless he barged in and played with the kids himself. Some of the younger ones wanted to rough house, but Kokichi had them settle for piggy back rides, even if the excretion was making him feel overheated.

Once he was able to slip away from the kids, he moved towards the desk. Taking the final box from his bag, he placed it on the desk, leaving a letter on top of it that declared that the small fortune inside was a generous donation. He also planned on sending the orphanage new cookware, utensils, and bedding. Whatever his impulse felt was right.

Though he went to make a sneaky getaway, he noticed a single child with a teddy bear. They weren’t quite playing with it, but rather, inspecting it with suspicion. Then they sighed, and handed the bear off to some other child who immediately scooped it up with an excited shrill to run off with it.

Kokichi tilted his head, wondering why the kid didn’t look as happy as the rest, but a second look over them made Kokichi frown. They looked older than the rest, at least thirteen or even fourteen if he had to guess. Now that he thought about it, they were the one who seemed rather skeptical of him before, even if they were still excited to see him.

So, Kokichi decided that he had one last thing to do.

“Hey there, kiddo,” Kokichi said, in a voice so goofy and silly that it should have made the other laugh. But it didn’t. “What’s the matter? Don’t like any of the toys?”

The kid looked up at him, then huffed and looked away. “... I didn’t want _toys._ If you were _really_ Santa, you would’ve known that.”

“Hmm, is that so? Well, I do get a lot of letters, so you’ll have to remind me--”

“Oh, shut up,” they growled. “I don’t wanna call you out in front of the others, but you’re not really Santa. Santa doesn’t exist.”

Kokichi hummed, and shifted his weight. Of course, what they said was true; Santa wasn’t a real person, but the bitterness they had felt unnatural. “Well, then, we’ll just have to talk outside for a second, huh?”

This surprised the kid, but they only looked at him skeptically. “... And why would I do that? Ms. Morikawa said not to go anywhere with strangers.”

“Don’t worry! I’m gonna make sure she knows. We’re just gonna go outside on the steps.” Kokichi tried to give the kid a warm smile, but the beard was surely getting in the way. “It’s just for a few minutes, anyway.”

“Hmph…” Though they were huffy, the kid sat in silence for a minute before they shrugged. “Fine, whatever… I guess.”

While the child--more like a preteen, in actuality--was moving to find their shoes, Kokichi pulled the caretaker aside, alerting her to his improvised meeting.

“Oh? You want to talk to Isamu?” she asked, frowning. Kokichi could see the subtle hints of concern in her expression. “Why so?”

“Ah, well…” Kokichi glanced over at the other children, who were far too preoccupied with their toys, but he still kept his voice low with a whisper as he muttered; “Looks like the kiddo needs a talk. They don’t look so happy…”

“... Right,“ She sighed. “He’s been struggling ever since he was brought here four months ago. His parents just left him here, and told me due to private reasons they could no longer take care of their son. I scheduled some meetings for them to see him, but they never showed up.” Her frown deepened. “I try to have him open up to me, but he’s quite closed off. I doubt you can help him…”

“Hmm, so shitty parents left him here, huh?” Kokichi rolled his shoulders. Anything to let off some of the rage that was building up in his chest. “I don’t really have anything to help him with _that,_ but maybe I can at least give the kid a little hope for the holidays.”

Ms. Morikawa didn’t have much of a reply, and only agreed to them speaking alone if he kept the door to the orphanage open so she could see them. For Isamu’s protection, she said. Kokichi understood the sentiment, but it did sting a little that he wasn’t wholeheartedly trusted quite yet.

Isamu returned to the main hall, holding their shoes and a coat. They looked to Ms. Morikawa, expecting her to object, but she only smiled patiently at them. “Santa told me he wants to talk to you outside. Please don’t go too far, okay? And I want the door to stay open.”

Isamu blinked, but then scowled. “Won’t the other kids get cold?”

“That’s why I urge... Santa... to make this quick. Is that all right by you?” Her smile faded ever so slightly. “... You do not have to feel ashamed if you do not wish to go anywhere with a stranger, even if it is just outside.”

Isamu bowed their head, and pursued their lips together. “Why can’t we do this in one of the other rooms…?”

“I need to be able to keep an eye on everyone. Are you sure you want to speak with him?”

Kokichi hummed, crossing his arms behind his head and forcing out a grin. “No pressure or anything, kiddo!”

Isamu scowled at him again, and muttered; “You’re not much older than me…”

Though with Ms. Morikawa’s approval, they relented with a huff. “Fine, I guess. But if I get too cold I’m coming inside…”

“That’s fine by me! Wouldn’t want you to get sick or anything.” Kokichi’s grin widened. “So let’s have a chat. Isamu, right?”

Isamu winced, which Kokichi took a quick note of, before they nodded. “Fine, sure. Whatever I guess.”

After a brief moment of hesitation, Kokichi and Isamu moved towards the front door. Though just before they did, Kokichi snatched up a large teddy bear that had been discarded onto the floor. When outside, Kokichi smiled and offered it to them. “You’re probably gonna need this.”

Isamu, who had just sat down on the first step, looked at Kokichi with widened and bewildered eyes, before taking the bear with a scoff. “Being nice to me isn’t gonna change the fact that you’re not Santa and Santa isn’t real.”

“Hey now, keep it down. The kiddos in there think I’m the real deal, I think they deserve to believe for a while longer.” Though with a grunt, Kokichi plopped right down next to Isamu. “Man, it’s cold out today... Even under all of this,” he gestured to his Santa suit. “I’ll be frozen in about ten minutes! That would really be traumatizing, huh?”

“What do you want?” Isamu interjected, making it quite obvious they were not having it. Their brows furrowed in frustration, but Kokichi could only see pain in their eyes. “I don’t feel like playing games, sir.”

“Geez, what a charmer,” Kokichi rolled his shoulders, though his playfulness didn’t bother to stick around long. Instead, he was somber, thoughtful, before he asked; “Did you write a letter to Santa asking him to bring your parents back?”

Isamu stiffened, and Kokichi didn’t need another answer.

“I heard about what happened to you four months ago, with your parents leaving you here. They told Ms. Morikawa that they couldn’t take care of you anymore, right?” Kokichi’s gaze fell. “But that’s not the truth, is it?”

Isamu’s face pinched into a tight frown, and they started clinging onto the bear a bit tighter than before. “Why do _you_ care?”

“Hmmm… Well, I have a sneaking suspicion as to what’s going on with you.” Kokichi shrugged. “Can’t say I know for sure, though. So if I guess it, will you hear me out?”

They only huffed, and turned away from him. “Fat chance you know anything.”

“C’mon. I’ll tell you the secrets of the real Santa if I guess it wrong!” Kokichi chirped. “Then you’ll know the _real_ truth about Santa.”

“The… real truth?” Hook, line, and sinker. Isamu may have pinched their face again in annoyance, but the subtle way they leaned towards him told him plenty. “What’s the secret?”

“Let me guess first, and if I guess wrong, then you’ll get to know the secret. Deal?”

Isamu glared at Kokichi for a long moment, before they relented with a slouch. Their previous expression morphed with pain, and they let their gaze fall to the ground. “You won’t guess it, so that’s fine I guess.”

“So it’s a deal, then?”

Another pause, but then a nod. “Sure. Whatever.”

“Well, now it’s all or nothing!” Kokichi grinned again, though he could tell Isamu wasn’t buying it. “I only get one guess right? So let’s see…”

Kokichi pretended to pause for a moment, before his grin dropped, and even he couldn’t keep up the playful facade. “Ms. Morikawa referred to you as a boy… but you don’t _want_ to be a boy, do you?”

A small gasp, and a sharp turn to face him with widened eyes said enough. Isamu was shaking, and clinging onto the teddy bear even tighter. “That’s--but--”

“You flinched when I called you by your name,” Kokichi clarified. “It was just a shot in the dark, but… people don’t typically flinch when strangers refer to them by name, you know? Plus your parents haven’t been visiting you, and you won’t talk to Ms. Morikawa about it… If I’m right, then your parents found out, and they left you here, didn’t they?”

Isamu continued to stare at Kokichi for a long while, their eyes still widened and fearful. They clearly tried to hide it, but their bottom lip was quivering and their hands were trembling. Kokichi’s heart started to ache for them, and he had to turn away. “... Thought so.” With Isamu having a very clear internal panic attack, however, Kokichi continued; “Your parents… what they did to you, it was horrible. There are some people in this world who are like that--backwards and bigoted and unforgiving. Sometimes, those people can even be your parents… but the world as a whole isn’t all like that.” Kokichi drew in a deep breath, and then sighed. “You just got really unlucky.”

Isamu didn’t respond, shivering in silence from the fear stricken into their heart. Though the silence that followed it had them slowly relaxing, though cautious and uncertain. “... You mean it?”

“Yeah. I know Ms. Morikawa a bit, she’s an advocate for a lot of that stuff. I always do my research before I go and donate stuff to places, you know?” Kokichi leaned back, and looked up at the sky above them. It was mostly grey, threatening a snow storm, with some bright blue sky peeking through. “When I find a bad place… I run campaigns to turn it over to someone who’d take better care of it and with a good head on their shoulders. Actually,” Kokichi turned to face Isamu, and grinned. “This old orphanage used to be a _terrible_ place, taken over by terrible people who’d raise children to be assassins.”

With a loud, scandalized gasp, Isamu, clasped a hand over their mouth. Then, after lowering it, they whispered; “So the rumors are true? This place… was it really used to train new assassins…?”

“Well, I think that’s how it worked? I’m not entirely sure, to be honest.” Kokichi shrugged. Kokichi glanced through the door, eyes falling onto Ms. Morikawa. “... You know, short hair suits her better, you know?”

Isamu blinked and turned around, looking at Ms. Morikawa. “Huh?”

“She used to have reaaaaally long hair,” Kokichi clarified. “Tied it up into two ponytails. Looks like she got a haircut from the last time I saw her.”

Now turning to Kokichi, Isamu blinked. “I think she got it cut last month, actually… Wait, why does that matter?”

Kokichi kept his eyes on Ms. Morikawa his gaze lingering long enough for her eyes to fall on him. Her bright, red eyes were warmer than they used to be. With a snort, he turned away with a cheeky grin. “Heh. No reason. It was just something I remembered. Anyway… what were we talking about? Oh yeah, Santa. Trans stuff.”

Kokichi started grinning widely at Isamu. “Sooo! Are you a girl, then?”

“Eh? A girl?” Isamu hugged the teddy bear tightly once again, their eyes falling away. “I… I was born a boy…”

“So? That doesn’t mean you _are_ a boy. So, are you a girl? Or a different gender?”

Isamu tilted their head, frowning. “There’s… more?”

“Yup! Agender, demi genders, gender fluid, gender flux--there’s so many genders that it’s impossible to name them all.”

Swallowing, Isamu turned away, a light dusting of a blush on their cheeks. “I… Sometimes I like the idea of being a girl, but sometimes that doesn’t feel right… I mean, I am a boy, so…”

“Hmm, sounds like gender fluid to me!” Kokichi chirped. “Or, maybe you’re a demi girl? You should ask Ms. Morikawa to help you with that. You don’t have to be afraid of her; I know she seems a little scary. She used to be way worse! But she’s kind of a softie inside, so you can talk to her about it.”

“Really…? You… you don’t think she’ll…?” Isamu whimpered. “But… my own mom and dad… they were disgusted with me…”

“Like I said, you were really unlucky in that department. But I can say, with absolute confidence, that Ms. Morikawa isn’t like that.” Kokichi gave Isamu a smile--a large, warm, genuine smile. “And if she gives you a hard time… I’ll know about it, and I’ll give her a piece of my mind!”

“There’s no way for you to know something like that,” Isamu huffed, though they were softly smiling. “You’re not really Santa.”

“Oh! Right! I forgot about that part!” Kokichi grinned, which made Isamu giggle. “Though, actually… You still wanna know the real secret of Santa?”

“Wha--but I thought--” Isamu started, though they pressed their lips together into a tight line. “... Sure, I guess.”

Kokichi snickered before he looked around, his movements exaggerated and dramatic. When he determined that the ‘cost was clear,’ he cupped a hand around Isamu’s ear and whispered; “Santa is real.”

Isamu, flabbergasted, only pulled away and scowled at him. “Seriously…?”

“Hey now! Wanna let me explain what I mean before you jump to conclusions?”

Though they didn’t seem at all convinced, Isamu relented with a soft nod. “Fine… What do you mean by ‘Santa is real,’ then?”

“Well, it’s less of a ‘Santa is real!’ think and more like…” A pause for dramatic effect, though Kokichi couldn’t stop grinning. “... You’ve become a ‘Santa’!” 

Isamu looked even more confused and dumbfounded, which only made Kokichi laugh. “Okay, okay! I’ll explain. See, when kids are real little, us ‘Santas’ are responsible for giving them gifts and toys, spreading the cheer and joy and all that, right? It’s like every story of ‘Santa’ you hear about. Except when those kiddos grow up, they learn the truth--in that ‘Santa’ is actually the codename for a person aiming to spread happiness to others. There are _many_ ‘Santas’, actually!” Kokichi’s grin widened as Isamu’s eyes started to light up with the amazement and wonder they had previously lost. “So, Now that you’re old enough, it’s time for you to start spreading that joy and cheer, you hear me? Though keep in mind that you have to keep it a secret! It kiiiinda ruins the game if you just go blabbing to everyone the truth, you know?”

“Is… is that really true?” Isamu whispered. “Is that how it really works?”

“Yup! Why else do you think so many people wear these ridiculous costumes all the time around Christmas?” Kokichi snickered. “It ain’t ‘cause it’s comfortable, let me tell you! This beard, it’s so itchy, I can barely stand it!”

“S-so, wait, does that mean _I_ have to wear that costume now?” 

It warmed Kokichi’s heart to see how invested Isamu was in this concept, their eyes widened and glittering with hope and joy. He couldn’t even respond properly, not for a few moments, before he laughed and patted Isamu on his head. “Nope, you can just be stealthy and give people presents under the name ‘Santa.’ That’s how parents do it for their own kids!”

“R-really? But… But I…” Isamu deflated, and hung their shoulders. “I can’t get people gifts like you can… Are you sure I’m really old enough?”

“Yup! Absolutely!” Kokichi exclaimed. “If you can’t buy gifts, you can make them, if you want. You can also ask Ms. Morikawa about it, too. I’m sure she’ll have some great ideas. Do you like drawing? Or writing?”

Isamu hesitated to answer, though they muttered; “I like both…”

“Theen! I have a great idea!” Kokichi rested a hand on their shoulder. “How about you make picture books for the others in this Orphanage?”

“P-Picture books?!” 

“Yeah! That way you can make one gift for everyone, and you can say it was from ‘Santa’! I’m sure the kids would love it!”

Turning away from him, Isamu stared at the ground in front of them. Biting their lower lip nervously, they muttered; “Do you… really think I could do something like that?”

“Well, what’s stopping you?”

“I… but…” A small whimper escaped from them. “Can I really do something… that’ll make everyone happy?”

“I don’t see why not!”

Isamu hummed, not challenging the idea yet not completely accepting it yet, either. They lacked the confidence, though Kokichi couldn’t blame them. 

“Hey, how about I help you with the first one?” he offered. Isamu gasped and turned towards him again, struck silent in disbelief. “I’m kinda good at drawing, so I can teach you what I know, and I can beta read anything you want!”

“R-really? But… aren’t you busy?”

“Eh, well, maybe a little, but!” Kokichi poked Isamu’s cheek, which surprised them enough to make them smile again. “I have a good eye for people, you know? And I think that you’re gonna do great! So it’s totally worth it.”

Isamu shifted their weight, squirming and flustered. But they silently nodded, and they stood up. “Um… I’m gonna go inside, it’s kind of cold…”

Kokichi stood up next to them, immediately tucking his hands behind his head. “No problem! I should probably get going, anyway. Got lots of presents to give out still, you know?”

Isamu laughed--a genuine, loud bark of a laugh that they immediately tried to cover their mouth over. As if that would hide their amusement. “You’re weird.”

“Well, good! I like being weird!” Kokichi grinned as he stepped down from the step. “You wanna tell Ms. Morikawa I’m off to give more presents to good little kids?”

“Oh! Sure.” Isamu’s smile fell into a frown. “Are… you ever going to come back?”

“Yeah, of course! I gotta come and help you with your little project, right?” Kokichi turned away with a flourish, laughing. “I’ll see you in a month!”

Isamu gasped, and nearly choked on the air they breathed. “A-a _month!?”_

“Yup! Be sure to have your first draft by then!”

Kokichi gave Isamu a final wave before he bolted, running off before anyone could stop him. He was filled with restless energy, all sorts of excitement from how much he was able to do.

He was looking forward to seeing Isamu again.

………

……

…

With Christmas and New Years come and gone, it was just about to become February in just a few days. He couldn’t stop thinking about Isamu, and wondering how they were doing after their chat. He wondered if Isamu would have a script ready, though he wouldn’t be upset if they didn’t. Whatever they decided, he would be fine with, but he wanted to make sure they were doing well. It wouldn’t hurt to check in on the orphanage anyway to see how it was doing.

Once he got outside, he already saw the differences that the donation had made. Much needed repairs had been made to the exterior of the building, and it led Kokichi to believe that he would see an even greater improvement inside the orphanage.

Grinning, he immediately hopped out of his car, waltzed right up the door, and knocked. After a moment, the door opened, and Kokichi was face to face with the caretaker.

Surprised, she blinked once then her brows furrowed. “You… what are you doing here?”

“Aw, that’s no way to treat an old friend!” Kokichi whined, pouting. “I was just in the neighborhood, and wanted to see how everyone was doing!” Though, he started grinning widely. “I gotta know if my money was well spent, after all.”

“So it _was_ you…” She huffed. “You could have just… donated like any other person, you know. What if someone had come in and taken the envelope?”

Without missing a beat, Kokichi chirped; “Well, I’d hunt them down myself, and bombard them with my glorious self until they _had_ to just give it back!”

Despite herself, Ms. Morikawa snorted, trying to cover her face with her hands as she laughed. Even if it was just a light giggle, it emboldened Kokichi enough to step inside.

“You haven’t grown up at all, have you?” She said with a heavy sigh, acting as if the little giggle never even happened. “Geez... “

“Hey now! Hypocrite! You haven’t changed much either, Ms. tsundere stereotype!”

“Is that so? Then I’d have to question what you’re doing here…”

Caught up in his lie, Kokichi only snickered and shrugged. “Well… okay, I’ll give you that you’re not _nearly_ as scary as you were when we went to school together.”

“The children would tell you otherwise…”

“I seriously doubt that!” Kokichi crossed his arms behind his head. “Isamu seemed pretty fond of you, you know!”

“Ah… she doesn’t go by that name anymore.” Though Kokichi was being corrected, he felt happy butterflies in his chest to be so wrong. “I think she’s currently fond of the english word, ‘Iris…’ but we’ll see if that’s the name she keeps. She’s still not entirely sure yet.”

“Iris, huh? Irises are really pretty flowers, do that’s pretty fitting!” he exclaimed. “Maybe I’ll buy the orphanage some flower seeds and you guys can plant them…”

Morikawa didn’t follow his cheer nor sentiment, and only gazed away. Her expression was stone cold, not giving much away, but she appeared thoughtful. With a reluctant sigh, she admitted; “I… don’t know how you do that.”

“Hmm?” Kokichi tilted his head. “Do what now?”

“... What you do, I mean.” She didn’t look at him initially when he asked, but when she did, Morikawa relented. “First you managed to… change the ownership of this place, and gave me the opportunity to take charge…”

“... And…?”

“And you’ve given Iris more confidence in herself, just from one interaction with her… Now she’s writing stories, children's books or something, and reading them out loud to the younger kids in the orphanage. She’s thriving.”

“Well, that’s good to hear! I actually wanted to know how she was doing and if she wrote anything.”

“Well, she did…” Morikawa trailed off again, though the corners of her lips curled up oh so softly. “She’s actually published one already.”

“Wha--wow! Already?”

“Yes. One of the other older kids is an artist, and when Iris announced she was a girl now, they started getting along with one another very well. They’re also trans, I think they identify as nonbinary specifically…” Morikawa’s smile grew a little more. “They worked on that one book for only a week. They were so excited, they would stay up past curfew to work on it together. Iris… really wanted to finish it, so she could show you the next time you came here. She seemed really sure of it, that you’d come back… and here you are.”

“Welp, now I _really_ need to see this book of theirs! Oh, I also brought this,” Slipping off the backpack from his back and slowly onto the floor, he unzipped it and pulled out a small laptop. “A gift for Iris! I figured writing on a computer would be waaaay easier, you know? I know there’s a rule saying that all the kids had to share, but… You think you can make this oooone exception for me, Maki?”

She looked at him, bewildered and practically flabbergasted, yet she didn’t respond. Kokichi waited, expecting an answer, though when he never got one, he tilted his head. “Hm? Something the matter? Oh, am I not supposed to call you by that name anymore? I thought they only changed your last name…”

Maki only continued to stare a Kokichi for a moment, before she released a heavy sigh. “No, it’s fine. It’s just been a while since anyone’s called me that.” Gingerly, Maki took the little laptop into her hands, no longer looking Kokichi in the eye. “We have a lot of funds left over… so maybe we can afford personal computers for the other kids. That’s the only reason why I’m accepting this for Iris.”

At this, Kokichi only grinned widely. “Man, can’t ever show that soft side of yours, huh? What do I have to do to make you smile? I’m really at my wits end, you know!”

“I don’t know what on earth you’re talking about,” she said, bluntly and cold. Kokichi might have started up the exaggerated waterworks if he didn’t catch the smallest hint of a smile. “I’ll let Iris know you came and dropped this off for her. She’s in the middle of working right now, so I don’t want you disturbing her.”

“Awww, shoot. Bad timing!” Kokichi pouted. “Ah, oh well. I don’t wanna ruin her work flow anyway! I’ll come back another day when she’s not busy.”

“Fine. Just next time, call ahead before you show up. I can’t have you ruining my busy schedule all the time.”

“Fiiiine! I’ll call, I’ll call.” Though he agreed, however, he was smirking. “Want me to bring you a bouquet of roses too, while I’m at it?”

Maki stiffened, but then she huffed and bowed her head. Her cheeks were a little red, blushing from the mild embarrassment as she twirled a lock of brown hair around her finger. “Hmph. You haven’t changed at all…”

Kokichi barked out a laugh. He tucked his arms behind his head with a wide, toothy grin. “I suuuure haven’t! Buuut… Neither have you, you know.”

Things fell silent between them, and Kokichi soon lost his cheer. The past being accidentally dug up, both made uncomfortable by it. He shifted his weight, and his eyes focused on anything they could find that wasn’t her.

“... I don’t mean that in the way you think I do,” he admitted. “Back then--”

“Don’t worry about it,” she interrupted. “The past is in the past, right?”

“Well, that’s the thing…” Kokichi let his arms fall to his sides, and he finally forced himself to stare directly at Maki. His expression was serious and carved from stone. “... I know I didn’t understand you much back then, and I didn’t exactly treat you right…” Maki huffed, but she didn’t respond. So, Kokichi continued; “And it took me… a while to realize it. That’s why I helped you out back then… but I never really said I was sorry, did I?”

“Hm? Is this supposed to be some kind of apology?” Maki still refused to look at him. “It’s all in the past, it’s fine…”

“Hey now, don’t take this so lightly! It’s not every day I man up and admit to my mistakes!” Kokichi countered. “Just… let me apologize to you properly. Can’t I do that?”

Maki finally turned her attention back on him, her deep, red eyes piercing through him. So many times people told Kokichi that he had a gaze that saw right into the soul--and he had to wonder if this was what they meant. Finally, the tension in Maki’s shoulders left her, and she drew in a deep breath, then exhaled. “Fine…”

“Well, thank you!” Kokichi declared, though it took him a minute to find his words. He wanted to say something meaningful and profound, but they just wouldn’t come. So instead, he just said the first thing that came to mind; “I’m sorry, Maki. For everything that happened… I’m sorry.”

She didn’t respond immediately, letting her fingers graze over the laptop’s plastic shell. She looked like she was lost in thought, dealing with the same dilemma he had. Finally, she looked at him again, and muttered; “I’m sorry, too… you had every right to hate me and be uncomfortable with me, after what happened.” An empty chuckle left her lips, and she shook her head. “... I’m sorry that it took me so long to apologize to you for what I’ve done. And… I never really thanked you for what you did for me and this orphanage, either.”

“Weeell… Yeah I got nothing." Kokichi shrugged. "Honestly, exposing those assassins to the public was more or less a final resort for me. I didn’t think you’d change at all if they still had their chains around you. You acted really helpless to their power. I guess I only did it to see if freeing you from your cage would actually prove it to me.”

Maki frowned, confusion written over her expression. “Prove… what?”

Kokichi was the one that took his time to answer that this time, but when he did, he smiled warmly at her. “I wanted you to prove me _wrong.”_

Maki was rendered speechless after that, and she averted her eyes once again. She hummed quietly, thoughtful and eyes glimmering with some emotion Kokichi couldn’t read. 

A minute ticked by before Kokichi threw his arms behind his head, linking up his fingers and laughing. “Ha! I never thought I’d be sooo happy to be wrong! Man this will sure be a great learning experience for me, you know? Anyway--”

“--I was wrong about you, too.”

With her interruption, Kokichi fumbled over his words a bit, not expecting her to return the sentiment. Instead of looking at him, however, she only turned away more. “I always thought you were selfish and manipulative in the worst way possible… but now I’m starting to realize just how wrong I really was. Even after all this time…”

Her voice trailed off, and then Maki sighed.

“... Thank you, for bringing the kids those gifts. They really love them.” Maki looked down at the laptop, scanning it over. “... And I’m sure Iris will find this gift extremely helpful. So I’ll just tell you ‘thank you’ in advance for her.”

“... Heh. Well, tell her I said no problem, then! Oh, and make sure you guys save me a copy of the book for next time!” Kokichi chirped, but he knew when he was overstaying his welcome. With a snicker and a wave, Kokichi spun around with a flourish, and opened the orphanage door. “Byyyeee! I’ll bring you the best flowers for our next date!”

“Ugh, don’t be ridiculous,” Maki grumbled. “Geez… You better not actually bring me flowers, or _else.”_

“Aww, then I’ll just have to bring you a different kind of gift, won’t I?”

“Please don’t…”

Despite himself, Kokichi and Maki ended up bantering like that for a few more minutes. Though they finally parted ways, and as Kokichi waved goodbye to her, Maki returned it with a soft wave of her own. Then the doors closed, and Kokichi was stuck with that image in his mind.

Maybe it was the chilly air, snow, and lingering cheer from the holidays, but Kokichi never felt lighter in his whole life.


End file.
